2nd April 2005

Just read the BBC report on Jerry Springer: The Opera (link goes to PDF). It's a thorough report which reveals just how carefully the BBC weighed up the pros and cons of showing the programme, with the final decision going all the way to the Director General himself. Amusingly, and quite rightly, it dismisses all 50,000+ pre-broadcast complaints in a single sentence.

3rd April 2005

Amidst all the tributes to the Pope for his contribution to the world (and I'm not denying that he did do a lot of good), it's good to see someone not blind to his failings and putting across a contrasting view, reminding us that it wasn't all good news:-

5th April 2005

The judge in a vote-rigging trial says the postal voting system is "wide open to fraud" and has strongly attacked the government's attitude to the problem.

Another issue occurred to me today which I think is far worse than electoral fraud. What happens if you vote in good faith for a candidate by post and then the next morning you open the newspaper to see the headline: “CANDIDATE IN PIG SEX SCANDAL”? Can you get your vote back? We need to be told!

“At least we have been spared Tony Blair describing him as ‘The People's Pope’” — Patricia Deacon, of Fairford, Glos, in a letter to The Daily Telegraph

“Across the world he was the People's Pope” — Michael Ancram, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party.

I filled out a YouGov survey a couple of days ago. One question was about whether I knew the members of the Tory Shadow Cabinet. Shamefully I couldn’t remember who any of them were or what jobs they did. Now, for all the wrong reasons, I know of Michael Ancram.

17th April 2005

I did have to feel sorry for the poor student-type on the train today whose headphones prevented him from hearing the announcement that Liverpool Central was closed for refurbishment. On the other hand, the look on his face as the train ran through the station non-stop was priceless and certainly brightened my afternoon.

He therefore had to make an unscheduled detour to Brunswick, where I advised him that if he ran over the footbridge he might just catch the train going the other way. He alighted muttering various obscenities under his breath. Which is not unusual for people alighting at Brunswick, in my experience.

24th April 2005

Isn't it a bit hypocritical of the Labour Party to criticise the Tories for exploiting people's fears on immigration, when Charles Clarke & Co are happy to exploit people's fears on terrorism to get the ID card legislation through?